In the Forest
by smokingpixies
Summary: Desperate for some alone time, Hermione escapes to the forest. But somebody else had the same idea. What or who is Draco escaping from? Will become a series of Dramione one-shots.
1. In the Forest

**Disclaimer: However much I may wish I was, I am not J.K Rowling and so I must warn you that ALL characters and settings used in this story belong to her... not me.**

 **In The Forest**

The ice cold air felt like a vice constricting her lungs; preventing her from catching her breath. Yet she still kept running. She had to escape, if only for a few minutes. Hermione's feet thundered across the forest floor as she got deeper and deeper into the heart of it. There was an eerie silence that permeated throughout the trees, only her heavy panting and the frost crunching underfoot, broke through.  
Her legs were becoming heavy and her pace was slowing; Hermione came to a stop, bent over and held onto her knees as she tried to catch her breath and regain composure. When her heartbeat had slowed to a normal rate, Hermione slumped against a tree. The muscles in her legs began to shake beneath her before giving way completely, causing her to slide down against the rough tree bark and fall with a thump to the mossy ground. She neither thought about nor cared that the ground was cold and muddy, she just needed to be alone with her thoughts.  
"Urgh," she screamed with frustration, her voice echoing throughout the dense trees.  
Hermione's fingers dug into the moss that covered the base of the old oak tree and ripped it from the trunk. It felt soggy, almost slimy. With all of her might, Hermione threw at a tree which she imagined to be Rons' face.  
Hermione lay down on the wet, hard floor as the tears began to fall. Did he not realise he humiliated her? Hurt her?... No, he's far too self-involved to care about anyone else's feelings. Within minutes her tears had developed into full blown sobs.  
She lay there until she could not cry anymore. Hermione had no idea how long she had been out here and thought she would have to go back soon, she would be in enough trouble as it was, being in the forbidden forest alone after hours. She tried to stop the dry sobs from coming and wiped away her tears, as she sat up against the tree. She had never been this deep in the forest, she thought, as she took in her surroundings.  
It was beautiful here, the silver moonlight shone down between the trees, illuminating their naked branches. The smell of mud, rotting leaves, dampness and nature engulfed her nostrils. She felt calmed here.  
Hermione's eyes darted to the left as she heard a rustling noise. Of course, she knew that there were creatures living in the forest but she was not completely sure what and this set her on edge. She scanned the forest around her whilst her right hand tightly gripped her wand. There was nothing in sight. Easing her grip on her wand, Hermione got to her feet and quickly brushed down her robes. She glanced around trying to get her bearings and set off towards the castle.  
She had only taken a few steps when she heard the rustling noise again, but it sounded much closer than before.  
Hermione felt as if all of the blood had been drained from her body. And now it sounded as if footsteps were moving at an alarming speed towards her. She froze and held her wand aloft.  
Her mouth was open to cast a spell but before her voice could escape a figure burst out of the darkness and crashed into her, causing them both to fall to the ground with a loud thud and a scream.  
"What the-" she cried.  
Whoever had forced her over was now pulling her to her feet.  
"Urgh, Malfoy," she groaned, as the tall blonde boy helped her up.  
"What! No thank you?" He smirked. "What the hell are you doing out here Granger?"  
"What the hell am I doing? You're the one whose just attacked me!" She yelled indignantly.  
Draco sniggered, "I didn't attack you, I just didn't see you."  
Her hand was still in his, they both looked down, noticed and pulled away.  
"Did you take a wrong turn to the library? Or are you just trying to escape Golden Boy and his weasel sidekick?" Draco sneered.  
Hermione's eyes narrowed as she smirked at him but Draco saw the fleeting look of pain that crossed her face as he mentioned "the dream team."  
"Well, what are you doing out here, Malfoy? Is this the new meeting place for the Death Eaters and their cronies?" She spat.  
Draco's left arm flinched at the mention of the name as his faced filled with utter anguish. Hermione started open-mouthed, looking at him as if it were the first time she had truly seen him. In the light of the moon, his hair shone silver but it was not slicked back in his usual style, it was messy and unkempt in a more Harry-like way. Draco's face was drawn and his skin the colour of dirty dishwater apart from the large black shadows beneath his eyes. She had never seen a face that looked so broken.  
"What's wrong, Draco?" she asked in a much softer tone.  
"Nothing that I wish to share with you," Draco said as he turned to walk away.  
"Please," she begged.  
He had no idea why he did but Draco turned back to look at her. The fresh tears rolling down her cheeks glistened in the moonlight.  
"They're coming for me, I really have to go."  
Unable to handle the combined weight of both hers and Draco's emotion, Hermione broke down.  
"Who's...coming?" she managed to choke out between sobs.  
Draco took a few steps towards her and did not know what had come over him, whether it was seeing her in pain or his impending death. He grasped her face in his strong, forceful hands and kissed her passionately. They both lingered for several seconds not wanting it to end.  
"I'm glad I finally got to do that," he whispered as he pulled away from her. "I'll probably be dead in the next few hours, so have a good life, Granger," he said as he turned away and broke into a run.  
Hermione stood in shock for a while before her brain engaged and her tears returned. What did he mean, he would be dead in few hours? And who was after him? She wanted to follow him but she could not summon the energy so instead fell to the floor and let the emotion take over. She stayed in that spot for a few hours before deciding it really was time to get back to the castle. Dawn was just beginning to break, none of her housemates would be awake yet so she hoped her absence had gone unnoticed.  
Hermione didn't know she could run so far, it took her over an hour to walk back. As the trees began to thin out, Hermione heard voices just ahead. She grabbed her wand from her robes and held it out. Professor McGonagall appeared from behind a tree, her wand pointing at Hermione's chest and her face full of malice.  
"Miss Granger," she gasped. "What are you doing here?"  
More teachers gathered around, Professor Dumbledore smiled but did not express any surprise at seeing her.  
Hermione looked around the faculty before looking directly at her head of house. Without answering the question, she asked,"What's going on, Professor?"  
"We had a group of Death Eaters break the school's boundaries last night and they were last seen running towards this forest." As if just registering where she had seen Hermione appeared from, McGonagall gasped, "You didn't go after them did you?"  
"No, Professor," Hermione stressed. "I just needed some alone time."  
"And you didn't see anything?" McGonagall asked. Hermione shook her head.  
"Okay then, Miss Granger, I suggest you get yourself up to the castle forthwith and get yourself some clean robes, and maybe put a brush through your hair," the teacher smiled.


	2. Riverside

_A/N: So this one-shot is a continuation of the first story. I'm not sure I am as happy with it as I was the first but I really wanted to tell the story. I hope you enjoy xD_

 **Riverside**

Hermione tried to turn the pages of her book as quietly as she could. She knew her charms around their camp were strong enough to hold but in these times she couldn't be too careful. The wind howled around her, the cloak sheltered her a little but the cold still managed to seep into her bones. How she wished Harry would offer to take over guard duty for a while, just so she could get warm but she supposed he needs some alone time with his thoughts. Hermione fingered her page in her book and turned it as slowly as she could.

She read the same words over and over, trying to take them in but her thoughts kept wandering. _Ron..._ How dare he leave them? He made her so angry. Did he not think it was hard for them too? Every one of us is making sacrifices.

Hermione's mind drifted and she was lost in thoughts of her night in the forest. She had never told anyone about that night, it was her secret. A week passed before rumours spread: Draco had been killed and his parents held prisoner in their own basement. Hermione kind of felt that his parents deserved it but not him. It took her by surprise just how much the news shook her. She grieved, privately, for a few days and then came out of it with a renewed fire to do anything possible to help the war efforts. His death would not be in vain.

Hermione was pulled out of her reverie by as rustling noise in the tent. She decided to stretch her legs and check on Harry.

"Hey," Harry muttered as she walked through the canvas door. He ripped apart the last, stale, piece of bread and held half out for her without looking at her.

Hermione winced but greedily took it. It had been so long since she'd had a real meal, it had taught her to appreciate every crumb she could grab. She looked around at the kitchenette.

"Supplies are running low," she said.

"Hmm," Harry grunted back.

They sat in silence each of them staring around the room, avoiding each other's gaze. The dynamic between the two had changed since Ron's departure. They didn't know how to act around each other with their friend gone. Hermione tried to talk to him but Harry seemed so shut off and solely focused on Rita Skeeter's new book.

"It's quiet out tonight," she said trying to encourage an actual conversation.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. He stared down at the floor for a few moments before looking up at her, "I'll do the night shift tonight."

He stood up, retrieved his cloak from the chair where Hermione had left it and walked out of the tent without another word.

Hermione's eyes stung with tears at his dismissal, she was trying so hard. She didn't deserve his silence.

With nothing better to do, Hermione went to bed but found herself counting the stains of various hues of brown that littered the canvas ceiling. She eventually fell into a fitful sleep where her dreams were plagued with her being chased, trees and Draco's dead body, lying broken on the forest floor.

After waking several times, Hermione decided she may as well get up. From the light in the tent she guessed it was a couple of hours before dawn, she had slept for a few hours, it would have to do. Harry was still outside, she wondered if he was awake but decided not to call out to him. She was still a bit angry with him and couldn't bear the awkward silence between them.

She dressed quickly and headed out of the tent. "I'm going to catch some breakfast, then I'll take over guard duty so you can get some sleep," Hermione said looking at the floor.

Harry pulled the cloak from his shoulders and handed it to her before slinking off into the tent without a word.

"Arse," Hermione whispered after him.

She followed him into the tent but he had skulked off to the bedroom. Hermione retrieved a small wicker basket from her tiny handbag, threw the cloak over herself and headed out into the morning.

The sun was still a couple of hours from waking and only the stars lit her path. This had been an excellent campsite, though she supposed they would have to leave soon, they had pitched their tent no more than 30 feet away from the riverbank. It was very pretty here and it ensured a constant supply of food. She had actually become quite good at fishing now; though she wasn't relying on muggle methods involving all of those poles and lines.

The river had cut into the earth exposing rocks on the bank. Hermione climbed down the small bank with ease and landed in the water with a splash. The river was shallow though it seemed to shimmer darker indicating it's deeper pools. She walked along the stones with her shoes submerged in the water.

Hermione loved being by the water. The sound of the river rushing downstream and the smell of nature that it carried, calmed her instantly. She followed the current looking for the deeper pools to fish. The water was clear and even in this light she could see the stones at the bottom and the fish swimming above them. She found her pitch and stood watching the fish thrash around for a while before trying to catch some. From under the cloak, she pointed her wand down into the water and sent the fish into a blissful sleep, they would never know what was happening. She felt cruel murdering a living creature but hunger drove most of those feelings away.

Hermione lay the fish out delicately in the basket but as she reached for her third, she felt the invisibility cloak slip. The fish dropped from her hand and splashed back into the water as her hand flew out to pull it back over her face.

"Shit," she swore a little too loudly.

She adjusted the cloak, as she turned she noticed a rustle in the dense patch of weeds downstream. She felt as if all the blood in her body suddenly rushed towards her feet. Taking a deep breath, she stared at the patch of weeds she thought it came from... nothing. Relaxing a little she took a step closer as quietly as she could, almost impossible with your feet splashing with each step. There was definite movement in the reeds, her eyes locked on the patch and she saw a glimpse of a face turning.

Hermione gripped her wand tightly and held it out in front of her. She took another step, not sure what to do. Hearing footsteps moving at speed down the river she broke into a run after them. She had to do something. What if someone had seen her? A Death Eater, maybe, who was now possibly on their way to reveal her location to Voldemort. She had to stop them.

Hermione ran for a couple of minutes before the panic subsided and rational thought returned; out of breath she stopped and decided to head back. She needed to get Harry out of there as quickly as possible.

Hermione climbed up the rocky riverbank, deciding that the open field was probably the safest way for her to get back to the tent quickly. She hadn't run that far and briskly walked back to the tent, her chest not allowing her to run.

Hunched over the trunk of the oak tree that faced her tent, Hermione saw an almost familiar figure. Was this who she had been chasing?

It was the colour of his hair in the now rising sun that gave him away. Hermione walked over to him.

"Draco...You... you're... alive," She gasped.

Through the tears that threatened to spill, she looked at him. He was very thin, worryingly so. His hair was unkempt and long, and he had grown a wispy beard that did nothing to hide how gaunt is face had become. He looked dreadfully ill. She removed the invisibility cloak to show her face. His grey eyes shone as he smiled at her.

"Granger," he smiled before pulling her into a tight hug.


End file.
